Social desirability scales as moderator and suppressor variables

Abstract

This study concerned the effectiveness of social desirability (SD) as a moderator or suppressor variable. Three SD scales were employed: the Edwards SDS, the Marlowe‐Crowne SDS, and a new scale that uses sets of four trait‐descriptive terms such that highly desirable responses are inconsistent at the descriptive level (e.g. firm, lenient, severe, and lax). Moreover, factor‐analytically derived measures of self‐deception and impression management were used. The 300 subjects were administered measures of the five major factors of personality. They were also judged by three peers on these dimensions. To examine moderator effects, the sample of 300 subjects was dichotomized at the median of the SD measures, and self‐peer correlations were calculated for each group separately. Saunders s moderated regression technique was also used. Partial correlations controlling for SD were computed to test for suppressor effects. Moderator effects were present only for Neuroticism, whereas no suppressor effects were found for any of the SD measures. It is argued that researchers and subjects may hold different perspectives on the meaning of responses to SD scales.